BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - UC Riverside made it eight straight wins over CSU Bakersfield on Thursday night with a 56-47 win at the Icardo Center. 

UCR picked up its seventh 40-rebound effort of the season with 43 against the Roadrunners. 

"It was a good road win for the team tonight during conference play and we're looking forward to competing again and getting ready to play on Saturday," head coach Nicole Powell said. "Every game is tough, so we've got to be ready to go."

A slow start eventually waned after Mele Finau's three brought UCR to within one in Bakersfield. 

UC Riverside's defense held the Runners to 1 of 13 from the field in the second quarter while Anna Blount's and-one gave UCR its second lead of the game and Keilanei Cooper's jumper made it a 7-0 run for the Highlanders.

Blount ended the night with her first double double of the season, going for 11 points and 11 rebounds. Jada Holland was two rebounds shy of a double double with 14 and 8, and Keilanei Cooper led the Highlanders with 17 points on 7-of-18 shooting.

Thursday's second quarter was practically a mirror image of Saturday's third-quarter showcase against UC San Diego, as the Highlanders outscored Bakersfield 19-3 in the second quarter and ended the half on a 9-0 run to take a 24-16 lead into the break. Cooper provided six of the Highlanders' final nine points of the first half.

UC Riverside kept the gas on in the second half, extending out to a 26-5 run stretching back to the first half. The Highlanders shot 50 percent up to the halfway mark of the third quarter, but the Runners crept up and cut the deficit to three with a 12-1 run. 

CSU Bakersfield made a late game run to try and steal the win, but UCR's defense held the hosts to 1 of 6 from the floor to finish out the night. 

UCR's four-game road trip continues on Saturday with a 2:00 p.m. tipoff at Cal Poly. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats will be available at gopoly.com.